As part of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage’s programme ‘Inspiring Culture 2025-2026’, the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute received funding for the project ‘Spanish mosaic of Polish drama’.
The aim of the project is to promote the work of contemporary Polish playwrights in Spain and, in the longer term, in Spanish-speaking countries, where knowledge of Polish theatre authors ends with the classics of the 20th century. This project aims to change this situation through comprehensive activities based on knowledge of Spanish theatre life.
It will consist of four phases:
- Translation of contemporary Polish plays into Spanish by professionals who already have experience in translating Polish literature. These are: Paula Blanco Barnés.
- Workshops on Polish drama, attended by Polish authors: theorist Piotr Olkusz, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Dialog, devoted to contemporary Polish drama; director Jarosław Bielski, who is also an actor, teacher and director of Replika Teatro in Madrid; and students from the Theatre Institute at the Complutense University of Madrid, the first university in Spain to launch a course equivalent to the Polish Theatre Studies programme.
- Publication of Polish plays by the Spanish publishing house Punto de Vista Editores. The publisher has a collection called ‘MínimaTeatro’, which publishes two plays by the same author in a single volume. The playwrights were selected in consultation with the publisher. They are: Antonina Grzegorzewska, Tadeusz Słobodzianek and Piotr Tomaszuk.
- A meeting devoted to the published books, organised in one of Madrid’s most prestigious theatres, Teatro de la Abadía, which is a strategic foreign partner.
Although all planned activities will take place in Madrid, the language of publication makes it possible to reach not only audiences throughout Spain, but also in other Spanish-speaking countries in the long term, which means over 500 million potential recipients. One of the criteria for selecting plays, proposed by the publisher, was supra-local themes and a focus on universal human experiences. This perspective may also be helpful in bringing Polish drama to Spanish stages.
The planned cooperation with the Polish Institute in Madrid will involve promotional and informational activities to ensure that as many potential audiences as possible learn about the project and that the event attracts the interest of the Spanish media.
Partners:
Teatro de la Abadía, Madrid
Complutense University, Madrid
Punto de Vista Editores Publishing House, Madrid
Polish Institute in Madrid
Authors and plays:
Antonina Grzegorzewska, La Pasionaria and Tauryda Apartado 647
Tadeusz Słobodzianek, CERBER Z BEAUBOURG. Dramatic performance in eight scenes and THE RETURN OF ORPHEUS, or the lowest order of reality in seven scenes
Piotr Tomaszuk, God Nijinsky and Mosaic from the Baths
